M.I.A.’s Most Memorable Makeup and Hair Choices

Just because visual artist and musician M.I.A. is a total, certified bad-ass, doesn’t mean she hasn’t been a girly-girl along the way. Since her first album, the worldly Arular in 2005, Maya’s never been shy of experimenting with an array of colors in makeup and hairstyles. The choices have been as poly-chromatic as her music . She was rocking nail art before it was accepted by the mainstream beauty world, and even when at times her choices seemed so transatlantic it clashed, because of her confidence in being different and take no prisoners approach to from art to style, to the contrary, it always worked.

In the process, she’s also become one of fashion’s darlings of the outre set, as she’s posed for Marc Jacobs’ Marc line, is a muse of designer Alexander Wang, and has sat front row of Versace shows in Milan multple times, subsequently leading to her own limited edition capsule collection for the house’s younger division Versus. Even when dressed in designer, M.I.A still exhibits M.I.A., and while a chameleon to the fullest, she does have her go-to’s in beauty. She’s especially fond of the mixed hue of orange-red, and tousled hair.

The slideshow below collects her most memorable looks that are easy to imitate, and even for more, inspiring to get out of your rut and swipe on that dark red or blue lipstick on (it does come off!) The biggest tip I can offer to looking like M.I.A.? Doing you! Yes, at times there is a time and place for that black lipstick, and when it arises, go for it! Try new looks until you find one that’s out of your comfort zone and fabulous on you. #BeLavish